Sarah Gentry: I fell in love with SAR when I had my first German Shepherd, Gertie. I was looking for an activity to keep her busy and content, and we came across our team at a recruitment event. I remember the excitement when their K9 Captain, Dale Thompson, evaluated her for SAR and said she should do great. Once the training began it was an instant passion. I was amazed at the ability the dogs have to learn and perform their tasks. Gertie had several health issues, so I knew she would not be able to work for long. A fortuitous series of events led me to Besa’s breeder, Vom Hochland German Shepherds’ Carolyn August. She had such a wonderful program and a guarantee with her pups that I made the nine-hour trip to see her available litter. Little Besa came out of her kennel, wandered around a bit, and got herself caught between a crate and a wall. There was no whimpering or concern. She just very calmly backed herself out—even around a turn! I thought, “That is a little thinking puppy there, and such good body control!” So, home she came! She has never let me down, not one day.
Sarah Gentry: As soon as I gathered her in my arms her training began, and it still continues. Besa loves to learn and loves to work! By a year and a half, she had her first certification and really hasn’t stopped since. Her willingness and desire to learn have encouraged me to keep adding skills, or “tools” in her “toolbox.” She is very good at multiple tasks and has held certifications in land, water, large source, and crime scene cadaver, wilderness live find, disaster live find, tracking, and was the first in the United States through USPCA to certify in human trafficking/human odor. SAR K9s generally have to recertify annually or biannually. Besa has held certifications through four different national/international agencies. Something many people don’t know is that our SAR dogs are often certified through the same agencies as law enforcement K9s, so the standards are quite high!
Sarah Gentry: Although each dog in every breed is unique, I personally love the German Shepherd breed! I feel they are intelligent, eager to please, love to work, and are durable. But any dog with the same qualities, regardless of breed, can have a place in SAR.
Sarah Gentry: One of Besa’s great qualities is that she is able to function as a multi-purpose SAR dog effectively. Every successful search has a place in my heart, but there is one that I feel showcased Besa’s unique ability to adapt to her skill set. I say she got to “change her clothes” three times for this search. It started in a parking lot where the missing person’s car had been parked. So, we started Besa in her tracking harness and trailed him to an area of thick vegetation. I felt she could be more efficient at that point running an area search, so we pulled her harness and put her area search collar on and sent her. She brought us to a bridge site over a river that was under construction and was actually missing the bridge. She investigated from the top of the area down to the river and into the river. At that time, we decided the victim may have jumped from the bridge area into the river, so we pulled her area search collar and Besa began her shoreline cadaver search down the river. The gentleman was found down river, sadly deceased. Otherwise, there is nothing like the bark of your live find area K9 when a person is found alive!! I get goosebumps every time I think of that beautiful rhythmic bark! I will also always hold dear to my heart that we were privileged to help with search efforts in North Carolina following their recent hurricane. I guess, in summary, they are all memorable!
Sarah Gentry: I really don’t know how I am so blessed to have a dog like Besa. She is such a big part of my life and has opened up so many opportunities, friendships, and experiences that I would not have had without her. I actually plan my lifestyle around what we need to do to have time to train and be available for call outs. SAR is a lifestyle and she is my perfect partner! She has taught me resilience and heart, and brought me to my knees in prayer, by overcoming a fatal illness, surviving a car crash and emergency surgery, and still coming back to work enthusiastically. There isn’t a day that goes by that I am not grateful to have her here with me. I consider her partly the community’s K9, as many of them came together and supported us through those tragic times. I hope my community knows that we are here for them, and not to hesitate to request our services. To be able to work closely with such an amazing animal, and to do so while helping others, is a blessing.
